Gifts of Experience in Northwest Arkansas

Gift idea: Tweens & teens can be so tough to shop for, but kids in this age range love fun group activities with friends. Modern Mission is offering a holiday special on gift cards:

Spend $25, get $5 free.

Spend $50, get $10 free.

Spend $100, get $20 free.

Gift cards can be used toward laser tag play at Modern Mission’s indoor or outdoor facilities, archery or the new airsoft field! Gift cards can also be used for birthday parties.

What it’s like: Modern Mission provides fun, action-packed missions! Since this is NOT paintball, you don’t have to worry about unnecessary injuries from fast-flying paintballs. (Airsoft does use plastic BB’s.) Players are divided into two teams to battle it out with missions such as Domination, Infiltration, and Last Stand. Grab a friend and join the mission!

Where to shop: Modern Mission is located at 3484 E. Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville, AR. For questions, call them at 479-595-0055. You can also follow their latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

If your house is like ours, it’s often overflowing with too much “stuff.” If you find that many of your kids’ holiday gifts end up sitting around waiting for the next yard sale or charity donation, consider doing more “gifts of experience” this year. Your kid might forget the electronic game he got for 5th grade, but he will never forget the experiences he (or she) has while learning a new skill (and making new friends) at Fayetteville Martial Arts. If confidence, self-defense, conflict resolution, honor and respect are gifts you’d like to pass on to your kids, this gift suggestion is the kind that will take up room in your child’s heart and mind — not the overstuffed closet.

You could also use a gift card toward the purchase of a self-defense class for your child. (This is something we’re going to be giving our own kids, and we signed ourselves up to attend the adult self-defense class in January.) The owners of Fayetteville Martial Arts are passionate about teaching kids and adults the skills we all need to deal with conflict at any level and at any age. This class can help kids know how to deal with bullying, name-calling, teasing, physical escapes from grabs or pushes, and even gives kids anti-abduction training. A class like this could be a gift that prevents trauma in your child’s life and gives them skills they’ll use throughout life. Read more about the self-defense classes here and here.

See the studio: The best way to get a feel for Fayetteville Martial Arts (which was voted “Best Overall Local Business” in the 2017 Mom-Approved Awards) is to see it in person while they’re in action. Go by the studio for a tour at 16 W. Township Street, Fayetteville, AR 72764. Read more about the instructors by clicking here.

If your kid or tween/teen already has way too much “stuff” crowding their room and closet, we highly recommend a “gift of experience” like a Fast Fun Card from Fast Lane Entertainment. You already know that a few hours in the arcade is something they love. And Fast Lane has added some really cool new features lately, including the new Hologate virtual reality game. (The Mamas of Motherlode tried it out in person, and we got to throw virtual reality snowballs at each other while we tried to score points in the game. It’s SO much fun.)

You get to choose how much money gets loaded onto a gift card at Fast Lane, so this gift idea can fit a wide range of spending budgets. Don’t forget that you can also feed your crew at Fast Lane and do some family bowling, too. If you have tweens/teens as well as younger kids, remember that Fast Lane now has a huge indoor play structure that’s perfect for them.

By the way: We don’t think the kids should be the only ones to have fun at Fast Lane, which is why we’re hosting a fun Moms’ Night Out eventthere this month on November 13th from 5 to 8 p.m. We’ll enjoy discounted appetizers, drinks and bowling, and we’ll have a LOT of laughs together, too. Click here for info.Hope you can make it!

Where to buy: Get a Fast Lane Entertainment gift card at Fast Lane, located at 1117 N. Dixieland Street in Lowell. You can also order gift cards online! Click here to order a Fast Lane gift card online. (Perfect for all you Cyber Monday shoppers!) For any questions, call Fast Lane at (479) 659-0999.